London, July 22 (IANS) Office bosses who carry smartphones during their holidays return ‘more anxious’ than before leaving the workplace as the devices never ‘escape the onslaught’ of e-mails and office reports.

A survey by the Institute of Leadership and Management, which polled around 2,500 managers, offers a ‘tragic insight into the impact of technology on today’s workers’, the Daily Mail reported.

Out of one third of those polled who work while on holiday, 80 percent ‘frequently’ responded to e-mails, nearly 50 percent took phone calls and 10 percent even went to the office.

Over two-thirds of people who own a smartphone say they check it ‘at least once a day’, while 40 percent of all managers said they return to work feeling ‘more anxious’ than before they left.

The study said the concept of an annual holiday being the time to ‘switch off and unwind’ is rapidly disappearing. Rather than spending time with their family, many office bosses are frantically checking e-mails, responding to queries and taking calls from the office.

Penny de Valk, the institute’s chief executive, said: ‘Gone are the days when people cut off contact with work for a fortnight over the summer and make a complete break.’

Cary Cooper, from the Lancaster University Management School, said the problem has worsened because employees are worried about losing their job and feel the urge to show that they are available even during holidays.

Staying in touch while on holiday was a way of ‘showing commitment to your employer in the hope that the axe will not fall on you’, he said.